BALTIMORE — We're four games into the six-game Battle of the Beltways for 2012, and by virtue of last night's 2-1 victory the Orioles have already clinched at least a split of the season series. For the Nationals to keep it at that, they'll need to win tonight and again tomorrow at Camden Yards.

Which means they'll need to get their lineup going tonight against Wei-Yin Chen. They've already beaten Chen this year, scoring six runs in 4 1/3 innings off him on May 20, so that's an encouraging sign. No surprises in Davey Johnson's lineup. As he indicated after last night's game, he's sticking with slumping Ryan Zimmerman in the No. 3 spot. Michael Morse again serves as DH, with Tyler Moore in left field and Xavier Nady in right field.

Edwin Jackson, meanwhile, gets the ball for the Nats, looking to duplicate his eight innings of one-run ball against Baltimore on May 18 (albeit in a game the Nationals eventually lost).

I'm back at the park tonight, so look for plenty of updates throughout the evening…

Oh, Tom Hallion of the awesome third strike call gesture, as seen in Strasburg's debut and in Howard's last at-bat of the 2010 NLCS (if memory serves). Glad that our humble host will be on the scene, so that I can read about the game after the fact (going to the P-Nats tonight). Maybe Mark should just leave the press box in the top of every inning, just to be on the safe side. I'm not kidding. Well, okay, I am kidding. Sort of.

Wow – out all day and trying my best to dial it back after I ranted non-stop in defense of JZim last night. Glad to see everyone carried on the debate in my absence and saved my last nerve. Bottom line, though – even though I have my own favorite players and opinions about the game and the Nats, I respect that others have differing opinions. I have been a huge critic of Davey Johnson, really it's just a long history of him with the Mets and the Orioles -I don't actually think he is a bad manager. It's more a personality thing. I don't think he is quite the saint everyone else does, but I know he is a smart baseball man. Sometimes I think he is blindly stubborn, but I have read what Ian and Danny had to say about the way he stuck by them and believed in them. Obviously that has had a great effect on them both. As a parent and teacher, I have to say that I kind of admire that approach with these players. I think he knows how to evaluate talent and can tell if they have it in them. I will repeat that Ryan Zimmerman has meant a lot to this team for a long time and I think he will again. He may have an Adam Dunn year – certainly Lincecum is terrible right now, Hanley can stink it up, Wright was bad last year. It happens. I think he does get a mulligan for a bit longer and think he will contribute again. For now, I will watch him play third and love it. I just want the Nats to hold the line the best they can and get a re-start after the ASG.

Nicely said Swami. It's a long season and we aren't at the break. A game ahead with one to go? Then sweat it out.I truly believe that Jayson is our ace in the hole.So much talent on this team. Enjoy it.

Thoughts and prayers to the family of Max Scherzer. He is pitching today, out of his home ballpark where he would have gotten a lot of support. Baseball is a just a game – I can't imagine what his family is going through.

I have my doctorate in something other than baseball, so someone teach me why this isHRod pitches pathetic sudenly after 6 ot 8 saves, and only 1 save in last 5 tries) and he is replaced, Detwiler is replaced, when he is still in the top 25 in the leavue in ERA, Lidge sucks for 2 games against the yankees and he DFAd, then Wang makes 3 horid starts, and he demoted and Detwiler brought back, All along our pitching is ranked number 1.Zime hits like crap in the 3 hole, our hitting stays at about 12-13 all season long, and he is still batting in the 3 hole. WHy is Davey hesitant about trying something different in the batting (wghich has not performed), but is quick to do something with the pitching when it has been in general great.Loyalty is good only to a point. He hedged last night about moving Zim, but didn't pull the trigger. What will ahve to heppen to pull the trigger, and move him to 6yj ot 7th?Inquiring minds want to know, (Werth last year was moved all over)

Davey and most of us old folk are creatures of habit. Some not hitting so of course, you make changes, move people around, stop the hard fast rules made long ago (L/R). As the times are anew, we must think anew. History will remember the Nats in spite of themselves.So move zimm down, take some pressure off of him, see if it helps him…(and get the shoulder checked out in spite of what he says).

I think Davey felt that all the "moved all over" stuff hurt the team last year (certainly including Werth). I think he feels that proven players that are in a slump are most likely to recover if they stay at a familiar role. I tend to give Davey some benefit of the doubt.

And Johnson is concerned with Zimmerman's shoulder also:"Right now, I was more concerned in having somebody who can pick up Zim if his shoulder starts bothering him or something," Johnson said. When DeRosa is back, he'll finally be able to give a break once in a while…

Here we go again with the umps.My biased eyes had Harper safe, then the slow mo clearly showed me my bias eyes were fine, it was the umps eyes that were wrong.Speaking of which did anyone evey here MLB or Rim Rimmons comment on the play last week. i was really disappointed that no reporter followed up that I read on that, and it cost us a game, it is worth following up.

Courage, people. I have been in Houston since Tuesday, reading every day about the Astros' hitting woes, too many strikeouts, too many guys left on base, etc., etc. But we just got back from MinuteMaid Park. Check the box score–there is light at the end of the tunnel, folks.

Tom Verducci is fine. Knowledgable and not full of himself. Does good historical stuff on MLB Network paired with Bob Costas and writes for Sports Illustrated. He did the Strasburg debut with Costas for MLB Net. Davey hasn't been afraid to move players around. Desmond is alot better as a 5 or 6 hitter than he was as our leadoff guy. I think he may make a move with Zim fairly soon.

No, Swami, no Cy Young against us tonight. Zim hit that liner solidly and Beast was spraying hard-hit liners all over the stands foul before he smacked that single to right. Annd now as I write this, LaRoche hangs with one too.

Verducci is a national baseball guy, not a Nationals baseball guy. Could very easily have gotten the location of the Nats/Yanks series wrong with all 30 teams to cover. Glad to see that tonight's Cy Young is maybe his cousin Clyde Young. Orioles defense helped us last night, let's take the gift tonight and make something of it.

I was a bit puzzled by the EJax acquisition, but I have to say that this guy has grown on me. We have Stras and Gio that have a tendency to flame out early in games because no one can hit their stuff. Then JZim and EJax come in and bulldog their way through. We figure out that fifth spot – Detweiler throws fire again – and this will be awesome to watch the rest of the season.

Ejax a good second inning.We are now 1 for 4 RISP. Eck needs to work on more contact, we swing and miss at way too many pitches. I believe they must do it more than the league average though I have no proof.

Wow – more good news from the minors. Speaking of the minors – apparently DeRosa will be back quickly – why are we rushing everyone back and then they are o-fer the universe? They have more time to rehab and I wish they would take advantage of it. And as for OPACY? It's a little hazardous around the infield right now.

Swami — Rizzo's explanation for signing EJax was clear and reasonable at the time — Stras' innings deficit, which meant not only the obvious September shutdown, but also Davey's appropriate tendency to use him sparingly in the late innings of his starts. So he needed not only a potential 3d playoff starter but a guy who would not wear out the pen in his starts.Boy is he doing both and dealing tonight! I've never seen him mix in so many breaking balls effectively. Good game plan so far. But Ron's walk Nick.

1 for 6 Risp. LaRoche's ball carried more than I thought. Espi reaching to hit a ball. if you have to reach like that you are either to far from the plate or swinging at a ball outside. Neither is good. that looked like a typiceal left handed swing.

Somebody just has to light a fire under this team to get them hitting. Maybe a little less esteem building and more old-fashioned 'Hey, stop whining and get this done" attitude.Whatever Eck and co. have been doing thus far just isnt working.

Well, that was really two hits–no doubt they'll revisit that E-5–but the O's official scorer is probably just so used to calling errors, it's become a custom. And the next best thing to hitting the ball to their infielders is getting into their bullpen. Let's go get 'em.

Ejax fought hard in the 5th, too bad our hitters didn't give him more rest. Bwetween Desmond swinging at the first and it was one O'Day's typical pitches, and nady just topping for a double play, not enough rest. Tyler the youngster had the best at bat easily that inning.

Just as I was warming to Verducci – who seems to make intelligent and insightful comments on the game in play – he talks about Jason Heyward making a fielding mistake on Harper in "interleague play". I get that you can't follow 30 teams closely. But . . .

Manassas Nats' Fan said… I heard that interleague play comment too. carpenter being a good teammate has not thrown him under the bus either time.Probably because Sunshine's too dim to realize it was a mistake.

Fie on Fox and MLBTV… game is blacked out in Omaha even though Fox is carrying NYY-NYM game here. Thankful though that Charlie and Dave have been keeping us entertained. Was beginning to harbor thoughts of a no-no for EJax. Now the bullpen needs to do its job.

Someone needs to take the lead here and make the hitters own up to their resposnbilities. The "accountability" thing again. What do you expect someone to do, beat them with rubber hoses until they start hitting? This is who they are. They aren't good hitters, mostly. That's all there is. They are trying. You can't play this game better by trying harder, you have to relax. It's hard to relax when you're 0-for-June.

Burnett and clippard have been great the last 6 weeks. When Storen comes back and is ready to close, I would go to the A and B team with burnett and clippard one night and Stammen and Storen the other, as we are in these kind of games every night.

Desi and Espi turn double plays like they are winding a clock!Last night, we had our chances but didn't convert them. That's baseball, especially when poor Zimnn is pitching.OK, let's get them tomorrow.

For the most part they are swinging harder than they need to. Swinging harder isn't neccesaruly better. I am for relazing and swinging for contact, not for homers. they always look like they all want a homer. I guess that is my complaint. Swing smoothly.